Preschool

iCarly is an American live-action preschool television series created by Steven Molaro that aired on Nickelodeon from September 28, 2009 to June 2015.

The series follows best friends Carly Shay, Sam Puckett and Freddy Benson, who perform their own web show in front of an internet audience with the help of Carly’s older brother, Spencer. Their act usually features music, dancing, humor and comedic sketches, which are fused in with educational messages.

The show was well received by children, parents and critics. Many felt that this was because of the show’s reliance on random humor and how different it was compared to other preschool shows.

Premise
After being required to film auditions for their school’s talent show, best friends Carly Shay and Sam Puckett start goofing off. Tech-savvy Freddy Benson overhears them and decides to record them. After posting the video online, it receives thousands of views and hundreds of positive comments. After reading those comments, the two realize that viewers want to see more from them. With the help of Freddy, they launch iCarly, a web series where they can do whatever they want. They decide to film the show in a makeshift extra room in Carly’s apartment and with the help of her older brother Spencer, the previously unused storage space is converted into a miniature television studio.

Main

 * Carly Shay - The kind, easygoing, somewhat naive title character of the series. She, along with her best friend Sam host the iCarly web show. She is played by Julianna Rose Mauriello.
 * Sam Puckett - The tomboyish co-host of the iCarly web show. She is Carly’s best friend, as they have known each other for years, While moody at times, the two get along fine. Sam is played by Kianna Underwood.
 * Freddy Benson - The technical producer of iCarly who is friends with both Carly and Sam. He is somewhat nerdy and in early episodes, has a crush on Carly. He is played by Tyler Steelman.
 * Spencer Shay - The eccentric, college-aged brother of Carly who works as an amateur artist. He makes sculptures out of random objects such Bottle Bot, a robot made from soda bottles. He is played by Jon Beavers.

Recurring

 * Principal Franklin

Production
Before the show premiered on Nickelodeon, in early-2007, a pilot was produced at Nickelodeon on Sunset. Titled “iCarly”, the pilot was around 27 minutes in length and unlike the actual series, was targeted at a pre-teen audience. Due to changes in Nickelodeon’s management at the time, it was not picked up.

Despite this, Molaro and his colleagues felt that the concept had potential. It took about a year for him to approach the network again. By this time, Nickelodeon had been airing Superstar, a live-action comedy which was the one of its highest-rated shows. Instead of pitching his idea to rival networks or giving up on it entirely, he decided to pitch it to Nick Jr. This was Molaro’s first time working on a series aimed at preschool, as he had no prior experience. Network executives liked his idea and immediately greenlit the series.

With the help of educators and musicians, the original script was rewritten to incorporate elements such as education, music, choreography and Internet safety. It also had to be rewritten in order to make the show more suitable for preschoolers. Despite the numerous changes, the original script was still mostly intact.

Casting calls for the main characters were done in both New York City and Los Angeles. Over four hundred actors and actresses auditioned for the roles.

Filming on iCarly’s first season began in March 2009 and wrapped up in July of that year.

Lawsuit
In April 2011, Dan Schneider filed a lawsuit against Nickelodeon and alleged that the series was his idea. The lawsuit was settled out of court.